Whole Cooked Salmon

I have seriously been wanting to home can salmon for quite some time.  I have been told that home canned salmon is far superiour to commercially canned salmon.  The problem here is finding fresh salmon and when I do, it is such a treat we cook it from fresh without worrying about canning it.  That's ok and I don't mind, still one of these days I will get a nice piece of salmon to can.

I bought a frozen whole salmon that initially I planned on thawing then canning but I'm not really a huge fan of canning a product that was initially froze.  So, the salmon sat in the freezer biding its time until I decided to soak a cedar plank and grill it or cut the beauty into salmon steaks and bake them.  This was a small salmon coming in at about $10.50.  Sorry I didn't note the weight but I would guess at a little over 3 lb.

Our local grocery store sells salmon this way as a loss leader.  If I am lucky, I can find whole salmon once or twice a year there and while I know I should stock up, I don't mainly because it is frozen and I really would prefer fresh.  The salmon sold this way comes beheaded and gutted but tail and fins are still on as is the belly fat.

Salmon is absolutely wonderful cut into steaks then grilled or baked.  I ended up with about 12 salmon steaks.  Had I bought these steaks at M&M Meats, they would have cost me at least $2 per steak on sale so right off the bat I saved money by cutting my own salmon steaks.  Cutting my own salmon steaks saved me about $12 which isn't bad at all.

I found it easier to cut the salmon steaks while the salmon was partially frozen.  The only real waste was the fins and tail.  Salmon is rather interesting in that the steaks are always cooked bone in but if you home can the salmon steaks the bones break down nicely giving an excellent source of calcium.

I baked all of the salmon steaks with two going for our dinner that night and the rest reserved.  Dinner consisted of salmon steak with a little butter and lemon pepper, baked potatoes with Greek yogurt and my number one favourite, baked acorn squash.

Baking salmon steak is really quite easy.  the main concern is drying out the fish by over cooking.  I simply put the salmon steaks onto a Silpat lined baking sheet, add a small pat of butter and sprinkle with lemon pepper.  Salmon can be cooked rare but for this purpose I wanted it cooked through meaning opague yet still tender and juicy.

I let the remainder of the salmon cool then refrigerated overnight.  The following day was the Grey Cup so I pulled one of the salmon steaks from the refrigerator to make a dip for a bit of finger food snacking.  This was a very easy, impromptu dip to make.  I simply deboned a salmon steak then mashed a bit with a fork.  Then I stirred in about a quarter cup of Miracle Whip, a dash of yellow mustard, a bit of sweet pickle relish, and just a tad of prepared horseradish.  I served the dip with cholesterol free golden rusk, cooked shrimp and home canned seafood cocktail sauce (not shown).  It was simple, easy yet rather tasty as a snack to munch on while watching the game.I

Salmon is a rather firm fish especially when cooked.  The following day, I set about deboning the rest of the salmon.  As I said, I really would have liked to can the salmon but since that wasn't an option, I was onto Plan B.  That dip went over very well so I reasoned vacuum sealing some of that salmon for dip made a lot of sense.  I routinely freeze what I affectionately call meal quick starts.  This includes a wide variety of pre-cooked meats that can be used for easy meals like chicken strips, thin sliced meats for sandwiches and pre-seasoned cooked meats for a quick chili, pasta dish or salad.  They really are ideal quick starts during the summer months.  I can't tell you how many times I have been able to pull together a nice meal using these packets I keep safely tucked in the freezer!  At any given time I have the starts for a meal in my freezer already cooked and ready to use so why not do the same thing with the cooked salmon.

Despite the fact I really wanted to can this salmon I moved onto Plan B which was to debone then vacuum seal and freeze.  So, it was a bit of a new one on me.  I have routinely cooked and froze all types of meat but not so much seafood.  BUT you can buy pre-cooked seafood both commercially canned and frozen so why not do it at home?  So a couple of months ago, I started experimenting with freezing quick start packets of various fish.

Some cooked seafood freezes better than others.  I have had good luck with salmon that tends to freeze nicely and when thawed tastes so much better than commercially canned salmon.  It is a thicker, oilier fish which I think helps.  I now have several packet of vacuum sealed salmon in my freezer to use as meal quick starts although most of them will likely end up being used in dips for entertaining.  You just can't go wrong having a variety of quick meal starts in the freezer!

A Quick Start Roast Beef Dinner

Honestly, the past two Februarys have not been kind to me.  Last year I ended up with a huge haematoma on my shin when a truck door slammed into it on Feb. 18.  I still have a horrid mark and a bit of a lump there.  Two weeks ago I hurt my back playing volleyball so was barely walking when my slipper got caught on the stairs sending me flying face down onto the landing on Feb 21.  Thank goodness nothing is broke but I have one of the worst sprains possible according to the doctor.  So I'm still on crutches meaning my cooking style is being cramped just a tad.  This is precisely why keeping a well stocked pantry and home made convenience foods is a must!  They can be a real help when you are dealing with illness or injury. 

Years ago when the kids were small and I was back in university, I began bulk cooking sessions.  It was one way for me to put good, nutritious meals on the table without a lot of fuss.  I reasoned that cooking two roasts took the same time as cooking one roast.  I quickly devised my homemade meal quick starts.  These include vacuum sealed packets of meat or poultry with gravy, seasoned ground beef, browned ground beef/turkey/chicken, pre-made vegetable packets, vegetable sides and those types of things.

A couple of nights ago, I'm hobbling around the kitchen just itching to do a bit of cooking.  I pulled out a packet of roast beef and gravy from the freezer.  Then I cooked broad egg noodles and frozen niblet corn to complete the meal.  It wasn't a fancy meal nor was it time consuming but more importantly it was something I could put together while on crutches.  The entire meal was ready within 15 minutes. 

Monday's Frugal Kitchen 101 will go into greater detail with respect to homemade convenience foods.  A bit of prepping ahead as well as stocking the freezer and pantry will make dealing with injury and illnesses easier.  You won't have to worry about running out to the store or ordering take-out as everything you need for a healthy meal will be right in your own home!

Ham & Broccoli Casserole

We are preparing for our winter vacation which means we need to use up what is in the refrigerator before we leave. I've froze what I could. Last night I made a lovely casserole using up a bit of the frozen ham from Christmas entertaining. Some of the best casseroles come together simply by tossing simple but compatible ingredients together.

Ham & Broccoli Casserole

This really was a clean out the fridge casserole but there was a plan. In my mind ham is best served with scallop potatoes and not those fancy scallops but the real scallops the way my Mom made them. Whenever we have a ham I cut a thick slice into cubes then freeze for a quick start. These handy packets are great additions for casseroles and soups.

Ham & Broccoli Casserole

2 c ham, cubed
1½ c broccoli, chopped
4 mushrooms, sliced
4 med potatoes, cubed
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
3 tbsp unbleached flour
2 c shredded cheddar cheese
3 c milk

Prepare ham and vegetables. Pour the seasoning and flour over the ham and vegetable mix. Stir to mix. Shred cheese and add to the ham and vegetable mix. Stir to mix. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish. Scald the milk. Pour the milk over the mixture. Bake at 350ºF until casserole is bubbly and potatoes are cooked through. Garnish with dried parsley or chives.